Head-lamp control.



o. R. SELL.

HEAD LAMP CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. I9l6.

w N d 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

0. R. SELL.

HEAD LAMP coNTRoL.

APPLICANON FlLED MAR.23| 19|6 ,i l

Patented. Nov. 20, 191?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- OTTO It. SELL, 0F COLORADO SPRNGS, COLORADO;

HEAD-LAMP CONTROL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2U.,

Application filed March 23, 1916. Serial No. 86,252.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, OTTO R. SELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Colorado Springs, in the county of El Faso, and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Head-Lamp. Controls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to headlamp con? trols of that character in which, in order to comply with the traffic regulations within certain boundaries oi city limits. it is necessary to change the -direction in which the rays of light are projtcted from the lamp so that they will not blind and otherwise confuse pedestrians and the drivers of other vehicles'.

The invention relates particularly to headlamps employing incandescent light producing devices and has special reference to the means for adjusting the lamp and its support in such mannei as to regulate or change the focusing relation between the lamp and the reflector, the shifting of the lamp and ,its support being under the control from the operators station in the vehicle upon which the invention is employed. By means of the invention hereinafter pai ticularly described. the rays of light may be thrown at various angles with respect to a horizontal plane so as to be projected straight ahead for practically illuminating the road way when beyond certain limits and diverted oi thrown at a downward angle i on the roadway so as to illuminate only1 a small area or zone directly in front of the machine', the desiredresult being obtained by a change in the position of the light producing element in relation to the reflecting surface of the headlamp.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as herein described, illustrated and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings 2'- Figure l is a diametrieal section through the bearing and journal for the lamp support. showing also the tensioning means.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a portion of the lamp case, showing the reflector,

the light producingeleinent and the means for shifting the position thereof, imoer one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the same line as Fig. 2 showing a modified and somewhat simpler arrangement of lamp shifting mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, A designates what will be hereinafter termed the lamp support. The main body of this support is cylindrical in shape or round in cross seetion and under the arrangement shown in Fig. 2. at one end of the body of the siipl port. the latter is provided with an arm A extending substantially at right angles thereto and terminating in an obliquelv disposed angular end portion a which is bored to form an eye or receptacle for a lamp socket n. which is shown as fastened in place in relation to the part a by means of a screw o.

s designates the light producing element' shown in the form of an ordinary incandescent electric lamp fitted into the end of the socket member n. m designates the current wires which lead through an opening o in the lamp socket n to the lamp s.

The reflector r is provided with an orifice 7a through which the member n extends in order to allow for shifting the lamp s by mechanism to be hereinafter described.

rlhe lamp support A passes into a diametf rical or axial bore f in a spherical journal member b, contained within a bearing a which is cupped or internally concaved to conform to the outer surface of the journal o as clearly shown in the drawings. The bearing member f1 is also provided with a flange or flanges f having openings to receive fasteners g by means of which the bearing a. is secured to the casing of the lamp containing the reflector r. @ne or more of said screws may be employed as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to also fasten to the flange or flanges f a reflector supporting arm r to which the reflector r is fixedly secured in any convenient way.

Threaded pivots are inserted through the bearing o at diametricallv opposite points and are threaded into the journal member 7) as shown at 7L. rlhe lamp support and the lamp carried thereby are adjustable for the purpose of changing the focusiugrelation between the lamp and the refleetor bythe 'following means. The journal member b is provided with a. rearwardly lil@ extending tubular extension 1 which is shown as formed integrally therewlth and having an end wall formed with a smooth vcentral opening 2 through which is inserted the smooth portion of the shank of an adjusting screw 5, said screw having a threaded engagement with a central longitudinal bore G in the lamp support A. The screw 5 is provided at its outer end with a head 8 which is preferably milled for adjustment purposes, said head forming a bearing shoulder which rests against a corresponding bearing shoulder formed by the outer end of the tubular extension 1 0f the journal member. A coiled expansion thrust spring l surrounds the screw 5 and is housed within the tubular extension 1, one end of said spring bearing against the end wall-of the extension 1 and thc opposite end of said spring bearing against the adjacent end of the lamp carrier A. The lamp socket a is mounted directly on the end of the lamp support A and is fastened thereto by means ot' a pin or kev 7 the opposite extremities of which project into key ways 3 formed in the spherical journal member 7), thus preventing relative rotative movement between the lamp support A and the socket n. The member 7; is also counterbored to receive the socket ln and admit of the sliding move- 'ment thereof when the lamp support is moved longitudinally b v means of the, adjusting screw 5 or the spring l. By turning the screw 5 in one direction. the lamp support A is moved toward the head of said screw and bv turning said screw in the 0pposite direction. the spring 4 expands and moves the lamp carrier in the opposite direction. In this wa v the lamp s may be adjusted nearer to or farther from the surface of the reflector r.

rThe bearing n is externallv threaded as .shown at 7/ to receive a presser cap d which is therefore adjustable in relation t0 the bearing u. A friction shoe c is inserted in one end of the bearing a and is formed with a eoncaved working face as shown which conforms to the outer surface of the spherical journal member B. Between the friction shoe r.' and the rap (l. a resilient and expansible member e is interposed, the same being preferably in the forni of a ring of rubber or the like. said resilient member serving to hold the shoe c in' contact with the journal member 7) with a pressure which will prevent the journal b from turning too freely. rl`he friction shoe c is provided with an outwardly flaring opening f/ and the cap f/ is also provided with an outwardly flaring opening both of which flaring openings correspond with the central opening of the resilient member f which is also flared. At the opposite side. the bearing a is provided with the flared opening All of the Openings just referred to provide for the necessary amplitude of oscillatory movement of the lamp support A on the pivots i as a center thus enabling the lamp support A and the lamp s to be moved to the two extreme limits of movement indicated by full and dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3.

The means for Operating the lamp snpport is shown for convenience as embodying a rod u pivotally connected at t to one end of the extension 1 and pivotally connected at its other end to the free extremity of an arm v on a rock shaft e under the control of the operatorin his seat in the machine.

Under the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings, the parts A', -a and 7) of Fig. 2 are dispensed with and the lamp socket n is attached directly to one end of the lamp support A and in fact forms a continuation thereof. The orifice p of the reflector l' is located at a relatively higher elevation so that the socket 'n may extend directly therethrough and have the lamp s detachably attached thereto, the orifice p being so designed and located that the lamp s may be shifted to either of the two limits of its movement as indicated b v the full and dotted lines in said Fig. 3. ai designates smooth openings in the bearing a through which the pivots z' are insei-ted. said pivots being adapted to turn freely in the bearing openings m. The presser cap ci is preferably roughened or knurled as shown at By adjusting the presser cap Z in relation to the bearing a, the resilient member e may be caused to bear with any desired yielding pressure against the friction shoe c, the latter thereby acting with greater orless friction on the journal member Z) to resist the turning movement of the latter. Additionally, the resilient member e when compressed between the cap (Z and the shoe c will slightly bulge at its inner edge so as to form a cushion against which the lamp support A will strike and bear when the lamp s assumes the dotted line position in Figs. 2 and 3. This reduces the liability of the breaking of the lamp by vibrations of too reat amplitude. In whatever position the amp s is adjusted, it is securely retained by the operation of the friction shoe o in conjunction with the bearing a, the concaved faces of both of which parts lie in direct Contact with the outer surface of the spherical journal member b. When the lamp is in the central position illustrated by full lines in Figs. 2 and 8, the rays of light are thrown directly ahead for the pur ose of illuminating the road way to a considerable distance in front of the. machine. When however. the lamp is shifted to the position indicated by dotted lines in the drawings. the rays of light instead of being directed straight ahead, are deflect-ed and directed naamw downwardly at an angle so as to illuminate only a relativelysmall zone or area in advance of the machine.

By means of the invention, the rays of light ofthe lamp in the reflector can be Vfiired at any angle between the extreme of the center position as illustrated by the full lines in Figs. 2 and 3 an-d the position indicated by the dotted lines in such figures, at the control of the operator and thereby illuminate a zone or area in advance of the machine using the headlamp, of varying areas.

Having thus described my invention, l claim :-l

1. The combination with a concaved reflector having an orifice in the body thereof,` of a lamp support, a lamp carried by said support and movable upwardly and downwardly within the concavity of the reflector, a spherical journal member formed with an axial bore in which a portion of the lamp support is slidable, a bearing for said journal member, and means for adjusting the lamp support in focusing relation to the reflector embodying an adjusting screw having a threaded connection with the lamp support and having a bearing against a part of said journal member.

2. The combination with a concaved ren flector having an orifice in the body thereof, of a lamp support, a lamp carried by said support and movable'upwardly and downwardly within the concavity of the reflector, a spherical journal member formed with an axial bore in which a portion of the lamp support is slidable, a bearing for said journal member, means for adjusting the lamp support in focusing` relation to the reflector embodying an adjusting screw having a threaded connection with the lamp support and having a bearing a ainst a part of said journal member, and a irust spring surrounding said adjusting screw and pressing against the lamp support to sustain the latter in its adjusted position.

3. The combination with a concaved reflector having an orifice in the body thereof, of a lamp support, a lamp carried by said support and movable upwardly and downwardly within the concavity of the reflector, a spherical journal member formed with an axial bore in which a portion of the lamp support is slidable, means preventing relative rotative movement of the lamp support and journal member, a bearing for` said journal member, and means for adjusting the lamp support in focusing relation to the reflector embodying an adjusting screw having a threaded connection with the lamp support and having a bearing against a part of said journal member.

4. The combination with a concaved reflector haring an orifice in the body thereof, of a lamp support, a lamp carried by said support and movable upwardly and downwardly within the concavity of the reflector, a spherical journal member formed with an axial bore in which a portion of the lamp support is slidable, a bearing for said journal member, means for adjusting the lamp support in focusing relation to the reflector embodying a tubular extension of the journal member,`an adjustin screw having a threaded connection wit the lamp support and provided with a head which bears against a shoulder of said tubular extension, and an expansion spring bearing against said lamp Support and shoulder and housed in said tubular extension.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

@TTU R. SELL. Witnesses:

RA. ELLIsoN, @ARMA E. Yons. 

